A small clip from the Star-Ledger of New Jersey, had an article in the August 28, 2006 edition, starting in this way:

Jersey archbishop in line to fill vacancy in Detroit

Monday, August 28, 2006BY JEFF DIAMANTStar-Ledger Staff

Once Pope Benedict returns to Vatican City from a trip to his native Germany next month, he faces important decisions that will affect millions of Catholics: how to fill archbishop vacancies in Detroit and Baltimore, where archbishops traditionally become cardinals.

New Jersey's Catholics have good reason to follow his decisions: Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, the highest-ranked Catholic clergyman in the state since 2001, is rumored to be the favorite for Detroit's opening. The Vatican tries to keep its appointments under wraps, though expected vacancies always fuel speculation among priests and within the Catholic community. Adding to the uncertainty is the pope's ultimate discretion in a process that includes input from the papal ambassador to the United States and the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops.

Nobody who knows whether Myers is among the three finalists -- or whether the selection process has even reached that point -- will speak publicly about it. Myers declined to be interviewed about it.

However, the rumors about Myers moving to Detroit are being discussed among priests, mentioned on the Internet and heard even among some lay people.

Answer to the question? We'll have to wait and see. The Vatican will probably pick a good man that no one is speculating about in order to teach us all a lesson: Stop speculating and just pray that the Holy Spirit guides the Holy See to give us the man GOD wants in this position.

It's a worthy thing to be offering adoration time, mass intentions, rosaries and many other prayers for.

From the Peace and Justice section of the weekly bulletin of St. Joan of Arc Parish.

Call to Action Minnesota: Womenpriests Celebrate the Eucharist. On Saturday, September 23, 4-8 pm. Call to Action invites you to a Eucharistic Celebration with Regina Nicolosi presiding. Rev. Nicolosi was ordained as a womanpriest this summer. Following the Eucharist is a presentation by SJA parishioner Dr. Dorothy Irvin on "Ancient and Contemporary Models of Womenpriests and Deacons". Supper is included. FFI contact Judy McGuire at 612.927.6825.

Perhaps Archbishop Flynn would like to see this bulletin. In fact, perhaps the CDF would be interested in a copy.

Please pray for the people of this parish and consider offering prayers and sacrifices of reparation for the actions of those who play "priestess" in the name of Catholicism.

It's not that often that we get to witness the founding of a new order of priests. Fr. Frank Pavone's ministry fills a big need in society today.

From the blog of Fr. Frank Pavone:

It’s official! This past Thursday, August 24, Bishop John Yanta ofthe Diocese of Amarillo received my profession of promises into the Society he gave me permission to found, the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life. In a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and concelebrated by eight other bishops, I became the first “Moderator General” of this new community of priests and lay persons dedicated exclusively to ending abortion and euthanasia. This means that I am no longer incardinated in a diocese, but rather into this new Society of Apostolic Life. Hence, the new letters at the end of my name are “MEV”, which stands for the Latin words for “Missionaries of the Gospel ofLife” (Missionarii Evangelii Vitae).

The Program of Priestly Formation has governed seminary formation in the United States since the bishops issued the first edition in 1971.

The new version, reflecting the bishops' recent response to the scandal of clergy sexual abuse of minors, says explicitly for the first time that no seminary applicant is to be accepted if he has been involved in sexual abuse of minors.

It also incorporates stricter norms, adopted by the bishops in 1999, on evaluating an application for seminary admission from someone who previously left or was dismissed from a seminary or a formation program for religious life.

The bishops adopted the fifth edition of the program by a nearly unanimous vote, 231-3, at their June 2005 meeting in Chicago.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Oh my goodness, I almost spit my coffee out on the screen when I saw this as I waited for photos to upload. Keep in mind, it is just a spoof - something this papist is pretty good at. Since I have people visiting from other countries who will have english as a second language, a spoof in this sense, is a "satirical imitation" or "light parody".

I love the "Read the Black; Do the Red"

Click the book cover to read the lead-in, and the introduction to this "book".

I'll be adding more pictures from toward's the end of Mass taken by Jeff Williams with his Canon EOS 20D, with a special lens that enables him to get that "creamy" appearance in the foreground and background. He's given me the info before, but I'm going to ask him to email me when he sees this, with the type and specs for the lens, for those interested. I followed his advice and purchased the same camera when the other one began having problems following a slight mishap.

If you click on the last photo, you can get a pretty good look at the vessel used for Communion, with the small cup for intinction in the center. I could not get the photo any larger for some reason when uploading.

The first three come from a source where nearly all chants are stored online (since 1994). Each of these three categories contains not only recordings (quality varies), but a second icon containing the actual notes. Here it is broken down:

The other day, Chris of Regina Caeli provided me with a tip that Jenny, on her blog, Cor Immaculatae, provided this gem. The link below will take you to a site that provides "streaming chant". Imagine that!!! In addition, there are other Chant resources online at this site.

Archbishop Dolan has now publicly addressed the issue in his diocesan news column, and more.

Don’t miss the bigger picture Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

“The church is alive!” Remember those bracing words of Pope Benedict XVI as he began his ministry as successor of St. Peter?

Today I want to share with you some great signs of hope and vitality in the archdiocese. But, before that, I need to speak with you about three unfortunate issues.

The first issue concerns Daniel Maguire, a professor at Marquette University. He has dramatically dissented from clear church teaching for decades. After my arrival here four years ago, I sought counsel as to whether or not I should publicly warn the faithful about his erroneous opinions. Voices I considered wise advised me that this was not necessary, since the great majority of our people already recognize his views as clearly inconsistent with legitimate Catholic teaching.

If the link is not working, simply go to "past issues" and choose August 24. The link will likely change.

This is commendable, but it has me wondering. Is it really enough for a bishop to simply warn other of a dissenting theologian? What about students who must endure this man as a teacher? I don't think the bishop can remove him from his teaching position, as it must be for the university. However, when a Catholic university allows such a thing to continue, at what cost does it come? How many more dissenters will this McGuire create out of the young, impressionable, and poorly catechized young people that are in his classroom?

At what point does a dissenting theologian, at a Catholic university, with potential to cause great harm to many young minds, end up formally excommunicating himself, and rendering himself incapable of teaching at any Catholic institution?

This says nothing of Call to Action he speaks of. I could only hope more bishops would take the Bruskewitz approach and declare excommunication for anyone choosing to belong to such a dissenting organization. More from Archbishop Dolan on Call to Action...

Unfortunately, as stated in the official program of this year’s conference, the leadership of that group has decided to include in the program an invitation to invalidly ordained “priests and bishops” to “celebrate a liturgy.”

Here again it becomes my teaching responsibility to state clearly that such an action would make any claim of Catholic identity by the group to be misleading. Faithful Catholics attending these sessions would only promote division and disunity rather than genuine renewal in the church.

People ask why I “allow” Call to Action to meet in Milwaukee. This group, of course, hardly asks my permission, and pays little attention to what any bishop, including the Bishop of Rome, has to say.

There you have it. And, there is quite a bit of truth to the fact that they would not listen to him. However, if those responsible for the Liturgy actually follow through with this, how can they not excommunicate themselves?

Mark 6: 17-2917 Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. 18 John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." 19 Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. 20 Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. 21 She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. 22 Herodias's own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." 23 He even swore (many things) to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom." 24 She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist." 25 The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request, "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 26 The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. 27 So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. 28 He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

If you are wondering why my photo posting has slowed, it is because blogger is taking forever to upload even a single photo, and sometimes, nothing happens and I have to start over. We have the elevation coming next or within the next few posts, followed by the candlelight procession yet.

Sandro Magister in an excellent lead-in for the recent catechesis given by Pope Benedict. If you follow the link to Magister's site for the rest of the story, you will find a list of the other catechetical writings on the apostles by Pope Benedict.

“Apocalypse Now”: The Pope Rewrites the Script

In his latest Wednesday catechesis, Benedict XVI has deciphered for the faithful the enigma of the book of Revelation. It is not the Dragon that triumphs, but the Lamb: “Do not be afraid of the silence of God”

by Sandro Magister

ROMA, August 26, 2006 – In his latest Wednesday general audience, with thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, Benedict XVI continued his catecheses dedicated to the twelve apostles.

In the preceding chapters of this cycle, pope Joseph Ratzinger had sketched the profiles of Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, James the Lesser, and John, in that order.

In the case of John, he first described his life. Then, in a second catechesis, he discussed the central content of the Gospel and the letters that bear his name: charity, or love.

In this third catechesis dedicated to John, delivered to the faithful on Wednesday, August 23, 2006, Benedict XVI instead focused on the book of Revelation, which also bears the name of the apostle.

The book of Revelation, the last one in the Bible, is held to be one of the most difficult to read and interpret. In modern terminology, its Greek title, “Apocalypse,” is in general associated with the immanent arrival of a catastrophe.

But Benedict XVI has worked the miracle of synthesizing and clarifying in a simple way the meaning of the Apocalypse, in an address of only 1200 words.

Although secular news reports are, as usual, muddled, it appears that a priest in Jacksonville FL (Diocese of St. Augustine) has been excommunicated for something related to agitating for married clergy. What caught my eye in the story, though, was the priest's line "...I love the woman that I am going [to] marry so much that I'm willing to give up everything for her." My emphasis.

Just so we're all clear, a man upon ordination to the diaconate (which comes before priesthood, of course) incurs the "impediment of holy orders" (1983 CIC 1087) meaning that this priest cannot marry his intended in the eyes of the Church; not ought not, but cannot.....

There seems to be a growing trend to give parishes back some traditional beauty. Gerald Augustinus brings us yet another example on his blog. I'll only post the first two pics here and you can pick up the rest at Gerald's blog.

Friday, August 25, 2006

From when I was very young, my father had taught me that it was an offense to God to be engaged in play with Ouija Boards, seances, and other such things which involved Mediums. Dad also taught me that it was unvirtuous at the least to read horoscopes, even if only for fun, and sinful if I put any stock into them.

Today, one can find a Tarot card reader or psychic on many street corners, at fairs, and other venues. Sometimes, entrance into such affairs begins with what seems like harmless fun, or an earth-focused encounter with others with a New Age bent. However one lands into it, whether they were influenced by family, freinds, or curiosity - something Fr. Perrone always warns against, it is something not to be played with.

Only God knows the future and He does not give even Satan such access. The Angel of Darkness can make really good guesses, but he cannot predict the future. This is why prophetic messages are scrutinized so heavily by the Church in private revelations. If something is coming from God, such a prophecy will not fail. But, if it is human or satanic in origin, it may or may not be on target. Evaluating many such prophecies from a single source may rear the ugliness of sinful deception or diabolical involvement if some prove true, and some do not. Scripture clearly warns us against trying to divine what is to come. Therefore, we should not be visiting phychics, Tarot card readers, or anyone else who attempts to do so.

Adoro te Devote, on her blog of the same name, walks us through a bone-chilling story of her past life. She shows how simple play can end up with near devastating consequences. To say that she danced with the devil is hardly an understatement. There are reasons why God has forbidden the very things she engaged in, and thanks be to God, she made the right choice in the end.

Where does God forbid such things?

“When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one whointerprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Watch this video of Cardinal Arinze being interviewed. It was uploaded to YouTube in March of 2006, and the Cardinal answers questions early on about worthy reception of Holy Communion. I have not had a chance to watch the entire 22 minutes, but will likely do so when I'm done posting!

EDIT: Ok, I listened to it while I was working nearby. Wow! His Eminence packs a lot into a 22 minute video. He is very frank in his comments about high percentages of Catholics not using Sacramental Confession, but 99% of people assisting at Mass heading up to Communion being a great concern. He also gets into the politician issue and Communion, followed by very straightforward comments about abortion and life. I'll probably listen to it again to see what I did not catch. It seems to me that this dialogue may be in writing on the web, but there is nothing like seeing his facial expressions, and hearing the tone of his voice in his responses.

For those who may have missed my previous post on the subject, Cardinal Arinze, who is the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, will be in metro-Detroit September 30. You must reserve your seat by September 15th so act quickly.

Curt Jester has an interesting exhange up on his blog, between Archbishop Timothy Dolan of the Milwaukee diocese, and Dr. Daniel McGuire - professor of theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee. H/T to Domenico Bettinelli Jr. who has written about some of Dr. McGuire's opinions, which counter Catholic teaching, among other things as Bishop Dolan points out. You gotta love the prop-picture given to Bishop Dolan by the Jester. I'll bring it you here, and you can pick up the rest of it at his website.

Dom's lead in gives you the background:

Recall Dr. Daniel Maguire, a Catholic professor at Marquette University who has been a consistent advocate of abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, and pretty much everything else contrary to Catholic moral teaching. He was a lead defender of Michael Schiavo’s successful drive to kill his wife, Terri, and most recently was lobbying Congress in favor of same-sex marriage in June.

Now, via Jeff Miller, we see that Archbishop Timothy Dolan has given the episcopal smackdown to Maguire’s latest self-important missive that he circulated to the bishops.

August 24, 2006

Your opinions are totally at odds

Dear Professor Maguire,

As the bishop of the archdiocese where you reside, I am obliged to reply to your circular form-letter, sent to the bishops of the country on June 19, 2006.

The opinions expressed in the two pamphlets enclosed in that correspondence are totally at odds with clear Church teaching. Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium, and Natural Law are consistent in opposition to abortion and so-called same-sex marriage.

You speak of your duty to dissent. Well, at least call it such. To claim that support for abortion and same-sex "marriage" is consonant with Catholic moral teaching is preposterous and disingenuous.

I, too, have a duty: to teach what the Church clearly believes. Your opinion on these two matters is contrary to the faith and morals of the Church.

Now that we've looked at the entrance procession, I'll begin to share some photos of the Mass. In this post are pictures from Jeff Williams. Mine came out much too dark. If anything, this experience taught me that I must get off of "automatic" and into the mechanics of real photography. I believe with a different ISO setting my pics would have turned out much better.

I can only post a few because blogger is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r to upload.

I have to get caught up on more editing to bring you many more posts of the evening Mass on Assumption. In the meanwhile, browse my blog for many pics throughout if you are a new visitor, or catch up on some worthwhile reading.

Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ - editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review, has a really good editorial up on the HPR website. HPR does not put everything online each month, but they have some really good selections as samples. Fr. Baker's editorial gets into a review of a book by Fr. Claude Barth called, "Beyond Vatican II: The Church at a New Crossroads" (Roman Catholic Books, 2006). It's not that long so I'm going to go ahead and paste it in here. Be sure to visit the HPR site and bookmark it for many hours of solid Catholic reading. While in some ways, it may seem to be a depressing dose of reality, Fr. Baker leaves the reader with the same hope that I have found, with Pope Benedict XVI!

A Church in TransitionRecently I read a book called Beyond Vatican II: The Church at a New Crossroads (Roman Catholic Books, 2006) by a French priest named Fr.Claude Barthe. He was at one time a member of the Society of St. Pius X and is now, as far as I can tell, a diocesan priest. This book set me to thinking about the present status of the Church and what we have experienced during the past forty years since the close of the Council. This period has closely corresponded with my priesthood, since I was ordained in 1960. So I am a pre-Vatican II priest.

There is no doubt that the Church is in a state of crisis; it is sick, it is seriously wounded. The indications of this are well known: a breakdown of authority, dissent among theologians, decline in vocations, decline in the number of priests, millions of Catholics have gone over to the Protestants or simply do not practice their religion, hundreds of seminaries and schools closed, Catholic colleges and universities that are Catholic in name only, banal liturgies in many parishes that have only a remote connection with the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and this list could go on and on.

Fr. Barthe maintains that the basic cause of this is a breakdown of faith in the Creed of the Church. Many Catholics, including priests and theologians, are openly heretics and the authorities in the Church do nothing about it. Declarations of heresy and excommunication have all but disappeared. It is almost impossible to be expelled from the Church. The Magisterium is in a state of self-paralysis. The papacy no longer uses the power of infallibility; in fact, it seems to be embarrassed by the Vatican I definition of the infallibility of the Pope.

As a result, according to our author, we have groups of Catholics holding different things regarding Christ, the Church, morals, the Sacraments and the Liturgy—groups that are like separate islands of belief. So the Church today, he says, is like a federation of sovereign states, with a weak central government.

How did it come about that a strong, unified Church under Popes Pius XI and XII is now reduced to something like a punching bag that takes many hits but does not hit back? Fr. Barthe thinks that it is the result of the invasion of the democratic principle into the Church. The Pope and bishops are now surrounded by numerous committees and councils that they must consult before making any decisions. That’s not the way popes before Paul VI operated. In those days the Pope was boss and everyone knew it. When he said “frog” everyone leaped; but not any more. For example, the Vatican has published scores of documents on the priesthood and religious life in the past forty years and they are ignored on the local level. And no one does anything about it.

In this situation, Fr.Barthe says that the Church now is ungovernable. A few years ago in Rome I heard a Cardinal say to a group of pilgrims that there is no exercise of authority in the Church. Everyone does what he pleases, he said, and nothing is done about it.

Fr.Barthe thinks that the main problem is the Vatican II document on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. According to him, the Church has never clearly defined exactly what it means by ecumenism and what the goal is. There is ambiguity here that has led people to think that the Church is not the only source of salvation and that heretical sects can be treated as equals to the one Church of Christ, the Catholic Church. The author thinks that this is the main cause of the present malaise in the Church.

The author is very positive about the present role of Pope Benedict XVI. He thinks the Pope understands the present crisis and is moving to overcome the divisions in the Church. He thinks we are now entering a period of transition from the conciliar Church to a Church more in accordance with the traditional Catholic Church in doctrine, discipline, morals and liturgy. In order to accomplish this the Pope will need wisdom and courage to be and act as Peter. He needs and deserves the prayers of all of us.

Kenneth Baker, S.J.Editor

HPRAugust/September 2006Table of ContentsWorth Noting

Letters From Our Readers

Is Christianitya Comfortable Religion?By James V, Schall

Eros and the Encyclical:The Need for Friendshipby Stephen F. Brett

The Liturgical Theologyof the Solemnity of the Sacred Heartby Brian Dunn

Work and the Social Structure of Sinby Cynthia Toolin

Homilies on the Liturgiesof Sundays and Feasts,by William J. Martin and George M. Franko

Michael Barber, PhD, also on EWTN radio, and professor of Theology, Scripture, and Catholic Thought, at the new - John Paul the Great University in San Diego, has a post up on the priestly ministry of the apostles.

While Michael Barber discusses Judas, and his replacement, he does not get into the free-will act of Judas, as I have heard him, and other apologists discuss. His article prompted that thought so I share it here. It was like a big bulb went on in understanding how God gives us a free choice and does not force us into loving Him and obeying His commands. Consider that Judas was called to the priesthood, yet God gave him, as he does all of us, a free will. Judas made a choice - a bad one.

How many parents today, when their children go astray, blame themselves and wonder what they could have done different? Certainly, in some cases a parent may have faults that led to a falling away by a child. But often, it is a matter of people choosing a certain path for themselves. In such cases, when talk no longer works, then we turn heavily to prayer.

For those who listen to EWTN radio, you probably know John Martignoni, who gives us an hour of apologetics. Martignoni his own website, which is under the "Catholic Bible Study Resources" section of my sidebar. At his website, you will find free MP3's, free CD's (with just a $3.00 mailing fee), and much more info for reading.

One thing that John has become known for, are his "Two-minute Apologetics" clips on EWTN between many programs throughout the day. Due to popular demand, he has put all 19 of these on one CD, and it can be found at his website, along with the other free CD's.

John answers many common misperceptions about the Catholic faith, and Christianity in general - things that all Catholics should be prepared to answer, with Scripture.

It's time we Catholics started to learn how to answer questions about the faith, with Scriptural references. After all, it was the Catholic Church which brought us the Holy Bible long after the Crucifixion. I've added many solid Catholic Biblical and Apologetics resources online. Please check them all out and spend a little time there each week.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Before you visit a Catholic-Canadian blogger's site , please recall the words of Archbishop Ranjith, secretary of the CDW (Congregation for Divine Worship), made just recently.

Every day, the archbishop disclosed, the Congregation for Divine Worship receives new complaints about serious liturgical abuses, and complaints that local bishops have failed to correct them. If the Church fails to curb these abuses, he said, "people will attend the Tridentine Mass, and our churches will be empty." Liturgical guidelines are set forth clearly, he observed, in the Roman Missal and in Church documents. Now "some discipline is necessary regarding what we do at the altar."

Lenny - a beloved, and spirited parishioner, had to undergo unexpected, heart by-pass surgery this morning, as was announced at the parish planning session for the 175th anniversary last night. I asked Fr. Perrone's secretary, Phyllis, if there was any word on how Lenny made out. It was announce that he would have a triple by-pass. But, according to Phyllis, Lenny only needed one, and came through the surgery with flying colors! Thanks be to God!!!

When I came to the parish, Lenny just started talking to me as if he had known me all of my life. That is how he is.

Lenny is also a workhorse around the parish and is involved in......well....., what is he not involved in???

That I'm aware of, he is involved with the K of C, works the Bingo to raise money, raffles, breakfasts and other events requiring much hands-on labor. But, Lenny is involved in a more profound way as a regular Eucharistic adorer in our onsite chapel, run by the sisters of the Holy Cross. He assists in the sanctuary many days during the week for evening Mass, ushers on Sundays, and always seems to be there with that big grin.

Recovery from by-pass is very tough, whether it involves one or five arteries. I'm going to propose an e-bouquet of prayers for Lenny, and extend it to all sick and ailing parishioners, including Bernie, a loooongggg time parishioner and security guard who fell ill months ago, and has not been able to return. If you are willing to pray a rosary for this intention, or spend time in adoration, pray a Divine Mercy chaplet, assist at Mass, or any other prayer or sacrifice, please leave a message in the comment box. You can use anonymous if you don't want to reveal your identity, or pick "other" and use a fake name.

For frequent readers who have never used a combox, it is simple. Click on "comments", and set the radio button to anonymous, other, or just type in your name. Just a first name is satisfactory, or a nick-name. Type your comment, and then when prompted, type in the letters you see scribbled on the screen. If you get it wrong, it will prompt you for a new one. This prevents blog-spammers.

If you are absolutely paralyzed by comboxes, email me your prayer/sacrifice contribution and I'll post it in the combox for you, using a name of your choosing. Just leave email and webpage blank, if you do not want them included. Let me know if it does not allow you to do so. Non-parishioners are welcome to participate!

I had never heard of spiritual bouquets until I got to Grotto. That is what is so great about it - they take a distinctly Catholic approach to such situations! Perhaps in the future, I'll make a post on the many creative ways a spiritual bouquet can be made and given.

Before we get into the procession which led into the 7:00pm Mass, I wanted to share this gem with you, taken by Jeff Williams. Three of the Sisters of the Holy Cross lead the people in the Rosary in the hours before Mass. It was beautiful, how they sang, and even how they recited the prayers, almost in the same tone!

These next four photos were taken by me, and the remaining photos below that were taken by Jeff Williams. Just as I was sitting at my computer the other day, disappointed with how dark all of my procession and subsequent Mass photos were, Jeff's disk arrived and made my day. You will see in this post, the value of more than one photographer. Jeff is about, oh - I'd say 5ft taller than me, and he found a spot off to the side where he could pick up the altar boys after they passed me by. I'm also going to ask Jeff to email me the details of the lens he is using and perhaps some settings if he is willing to share that, or to simply post this info in the combox for those interested.

7:00pm Holy Mass begins with a procession!

There is never a shortage of incense, nor altar boys, at Assumption Grotto...

There are also many apostolates and societies and most were represented with banners they had made up. In this photo, the Legion of Mary, which has a pretty strong presence at Grotto, is represented by two parishioners.

There is also never a shortage of Knights of Columbus at Assumption Grotto. Council 13419 is a fairly large group, and someone can correct me if I am wrong (email or combox), but I believe they are all parishioners of Grotto. Many K of C councils I've been exposed to in the past, were made up of men from many parishes. These guys work their tails off at many events, raising much needed funds for the parish, and they are always there to make special liturgical events even more dignified. Their work is not limited to that which is physical, as they meet for Mass on a given Saturday and personally engage in many other spiritual events and apostolates, and serve on various committees, and work as ushers.

Altar boys in black cassock and white surplice. They are often lined up with the younger ones at the front, and the older, tallest ones at the back, aside from those leading with big candles, incense and the cross.

These remaining photos were taken by Jeff Williams and I am very grateful to be able to bring them to you.

This statue is wheeled in after being beautifully decorated and escorted with the royalty that it represents. For any non-Catholics reading this blog, I would like to explain that we do not worship statues, as many misunderstand. Rather, the statues serve a purpose much like the photos of your children or spouse on a desktop - they lift our thoughts to reflect on them, and lift our hearts to love them. Some mistakenly believe that we worship Mary or adore her. Only God can be adored in a true sense of adoration, and only God can be worshiped. However, we simply pray to Mary in the same way that we would ask any living person to pray for us, or our loved ones, in a time of need. Mary's humility and obedience in scripture gives us much to reflect on when we see her represented in paintings, statues, and icons.

I'll try to post again tomorrow, God willing. These computer problems are mounting and I'm afraid I will soon need to do some kind of overhaul.

A final note about copyrights on this blog. I have no problems with anyone using my photos for backdrops, on blogs, or stored on your computer. Distortions and modifications are not permitted. I own the copyrights for my photos and Jeff Williams owns the copyrights for his photos. Any professional use of photos appearing on this blog, taken by Jeff or myself, requires permission. You may contact me at the email address in my profile.

It is always appreciated, when you post photos on your blog, to kindly provide a link back to this blog, and/or blogpost from which it originated.

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

St. John of the Cross

Dark Night of the Soul (2.2:3)...

"...the devil causes many to believe in vain visionsand false prophecies; and strives to make them presumethat God and the saints are speaking with them; and they often trust their own fancy. And the devil is also accustomed, in this state, to fill them with presumption and pride, so that they become attracted by vanity and arrogance, and allow themselves to be seen engaging in outward acts which appear holy, such as raptures and other manifestations. Thus they become bold with God, and lose holy fear, which is the key and the custodian of all the virtues; and in some of these souls so many are the falsehoods and deceits which tend to multiply, and so inveterate do they grow, that it is very doubtful if such souls will return to the pure road of virtue and true spirituality."